"Popcorn" (first version "Pop Corn") is an instrumental song composed by Gershon Kingsley in 1969 for the album Music to Moog By on the Audio Fidelity label. The name is a combination of pop for Pop music and corn for kitsch.[3] The Moog synthesizer original version became a worldwide hit in 1972, when it was covered by Hot Butter, an American pop band.[4] Since then, multiple versions of the piece have been produced and released, including those by Vyacheslav Mescherin,[5] Anarchic System, Popcorn Makers, the Boomtang Boys, M & H Band, Crazy Frog, and the Muppets.
"Popcorn" | |
---|---|
Song by Gershon Kingsley | |
from the album Music to Moog By | |
Released | 1969 |
Genre | Synth-pop[1][2] |
Length | 2:24 |
Label | Audio Fidelity |
Songwriter(s) | Gershon Kingsley |
Hot Butter version
"Popcorn" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Hot Butter | ||||
from the album Popcorn | ||||
B-side | "At the Movies" | |||
Released | July 1972 (U.S.)[6] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:30 | |||
Label |
| |||
Songwriter(s) | Gershon Kingsley[9] | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Hot Butter singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
In 1972, a rearranged version of the instrumental was recorded by Kingsley's First Moog Quartet. This was intended for the namesake album (First Moog Quartet) which had been otherwise a re-release of the 1970 First Moog Quartet album with the same name. The 1972 version of the instrumental had the current title "Popcorn".[10] In the same year, Stan Free, a fellow member of the First Moog Quartet, re-recorded another instrumental, based on the 1972 version, with his own band Hot Butter.[11] This was released as a single and became a hit in mainland Europe, spending several weeks at No. 1 in several countries on the continent, including France (4 weeks at the top) and Switzerland (10 weeks), ultimately becoming the biggest-selling single of 1972 in both countries. "Popcorn" was also a No. 1 hit in Germany (3 weeks), the Netherlands (7 weeks) and Norway (9 weeks).
Record World said that the "catchy tune played out in intricate synthesizer counterpoint expands on a musical idea first brought out in the popular percolater commercials on TV."[12]
Track listing
7" single
- "Popcorn" – 2:30
- "At the Movies" – 2:31
Charts
Year-end charts
Chart (1972) | Position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[32] | 3 |
France (IFOP)[33] | 1 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[34] | 5 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100[36] | 28 |
US Cash Box[37] | 70 |
Sales
Region | Sales |
---|---|
France | 1,400,000[38] |
Europe | 2,500,000[38] |
Crazy Frog version
"Popcorn" | ||||
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Single by Crazy Frog | ||||
from the album Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits | ||||
B-side | "Who Let the Frog Out?" | |||
Released | 22 August 2005 | |||
Genre | Eurodance[39] | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | Ministry of Sound | |||
Songwriter(s) | Gershon Kingsley[9] | |||
Producer(s) | Erik Wernquist | |||
Crazy Frog singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Popcorn" on YouTube |
In 2005, Crazy Frog released a cover of "Popcorn", the remix of which was arranged by Jamba!, and also marketed as a ringtone. The song differs from Crazy Frog's debut release "Axel F" in that it does not contain the trademark "Crazy Frog sound" by Daniel Malmedahl.
The single was a hit in various countries, particularly in France, where it enjoyed its greatest success. Replacing Crazy Frog's own song "Axel F" at No. 1 on 24 September 2005, the track remained at the top spot for seven weeks, with its best weekly sales of 71,777 copies in its second week.[40] Certified diamond status just three months after its release by the SNEP, as of August 2014, this version of "Popcorn" is the 40th best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 458,000 copies sold.[41] The track also topped the charts in Belgium, New Zealand and Spain.[42]
The music video, CGI-animated, was produced by Kaktus Film and Erik Wernquist of TurboForce3D and features Crazy Frog causing chaos at the undersea labs of the drones. A significantly shortened version of this video was also used for the Frog's version of "U Can't Touch This".
Track listings
UK
- "Popcorn" (radio mix)
- "Popcorn" (radio mix instrumental)
- "Popcorn" (potatoheadz mix)
- "Popcorn" (radikal mix)
- "Popcorn" (resource mix)
- "Popcorn" (video)
Australia
- "Popcorn" (radio mix)
- "Popcorn" (potatoheadz mix)
- "Popcorn" (resource mix)
- "Who Let the Frog Out?"
Charts
Year-end charts
Chart (2005) | Position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[64] | 79 |
Australian Dance (ARIA)[65] | 8 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[66] | 86 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[67] | 23 |
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[68] | 16 |
France (SNEP)[69] | 6 |
French Club Chart[70] | 49 |
French Digital Singles Chart[71] | 16 |
New Zealand (RIANZ)[72] | 4 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[73] | 51 |
UK Singles (OCC)[74] | 224 |
Chart (2006) | Position |
---|---|
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[75] | 85 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[76] | Gold | 35,000^ |
France (SNEP)[77] | Diamond | 471,816[71] |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[78] | Platinum | 10,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Legacy and influence
French electronic composer and musician Jean-Michel Jarre recorded a 1972 version under the pseudonyms Pop Corn Orchestra and Jammie Jefferson. Later he was inspired by this song to compose his 1976 biggest hit Oxygène (Part IV).[79][80] In early 2019, when Kingsley died, the experimental composer Blanck Mass chose "Popcorn" as one of the 10 most influential compositions of his career.[81]
Other versions
The 1972 cover by the Popcorn Makers reached No. 7 on the German charts and No. 1 on the Dutch Charts.[82][83] The version with vocals by French band Anarchic System was released in 1972 and reached at No. 13 on the German charts, No. 10 on the Dutch charts and No. 1 on the Ultratop 50.[84][85][86]
In 1987, the French M & H Band (sole member Mark Haliday), released a version of "Popcorn" which peaked at No. 8 on the Norwegian charts and at No. 20 on the Swedish charts.[87][88] This single's release was accompanied by the first purpose-produced music video.[89] Canadian group the Boomtang Boys covered "Popcorn" in 1999, their version peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, where it stayed for 9 weeks.[90][91] It also reached No. 10 on RPM's Canadian dance chart.[92] Richárd Moldován known as Richi M released in the 2000 year a cover version which reached at No. 9 on the Swedish charts.[93]
In popular culture
In a comical reference, a version of the song was included in the 2010 skit by The Muppets called "Pöpcørn: Recipes with The Swedish Chef."[94] In 2022, Swedish singer Tove Lo sampled the Hot Butter version in her single "2 Die 4".[95]
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1970s
- List of number-one singles of 1972 (France)
- List of number-one hits of 1972 (Germany)
- List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1972
- List of number-one singles from 1968 to 1979 (Switzerland)
- List of Ultratop 40 number-one singles of 2005
- List of number-one singles of 2005 (France)
- List of number-one singles in 2005 (New Zealand)
- List of number-one singles of 2005 (Spain)